Author: Chief Editor

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City’s season has been “extra special” as the Premier League leaders chase a memorable treble despite a gruelling fixture schedule. Guardiola’s side won the League Cup last Sunday and could wrap up a third Premier League title in four seasons this weekend. City is also on track to reach their first Champions League final if they finish off Paris Saint Germain in their semi-final next Tuesday, having earned a 2-1 advantage following Wednesday’s first leg. All this has come in a draining campaign which City began after a shortened close-season break, with matches coming thick and…

Chelsea is gunning to become just the second English team to reach the final of the Women’s Champions League but face a battle to overhaul Bayern Munich in Sunday’s semi-final second leg. Emma Hayes’ team are well-placed to retain their domestic Women’s Super League title after having only lost one game so far this season, but after establishing domestic prominence the Blues are aiming to become a continental powerhouse. Only Arsenal have reached the biggest match in European women’s club football when they won the competition in 2007. Chelsea will have their work cut out for them against Bayern, who…

Romelu Lukaku, 27, has been linked with being a top target for Chelsea this summer. According to The Sun, the Belgian striker is a $125 million target for Chelsea, as the Blues believe they will not be able to sign Erling Haaland this summer. Lukaku has had an incredible season at Inter, scoring 27 goals so far as Antonio Conte’s side are on the verge of winning the Serie A title to end Juventus’ nine-year domination of Italy’s top-flight. He also scored 34 times last season and has 61 goals in 91 games since joining Inter from Manchester United in…

The Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Usman Baba Alkali, has approved the redeployment of Mr. Monday Bala Kuryas as Commissioner of Police (CP), Anambra State Police Command. Kuryas, who has been redeployed to the Anti-Fraud Section of the Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos, is to be replaced by Christopher Owolabi. The deployment, the IGP said, was part of ongoing efforts at re-ordering, overhauling, and strengthening the security and policing architecture in Anambra, Southeast, and South-South regions. The development may not be connected with the rising insecurity in the two zones, which has led to the killing of many people,…

Peoples Democratic Party chieftain and former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Friday, lambasted the Presidency and the Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Fr Ejike Mbaka, describing both as “blackmailers”. Fayose also said both the Presidency and the preacher don’t deserve the attention of Nigerians. “The Presidency and Father Mbaka are nothing but blackmailers and scammers. They don’t deserve the attention of Nigerians,” he tweeted. The PUNCH had earlier reported that Mbaka said God asked him to withdraw his support for the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and to prophesy against him. The fiery priest had…

The Presidency on Friday formally responded to recent call by Catholic priest, Father Ejike Mbaka, for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the cleric is after the President for failing to influence government contract in favour of his contractor-friends. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Friday entitled “Father Mbaka Is Everything Apart From What He Claims To Be”, said the priest who supported Buhari to win the Presidency twice changed overnight because the President failed to award contract to three of his contractor-friends. The statement reads: “An outsider…

Ronald Koeman will miss crucial matches in Barcelona’s bid to win La Liga after the Spanish Football Federation on Friday banned him for two games after the Dutchman was sent off during his team’s 2-1 defeat at Granada. The 58-year-old was handed the ban after being shown a red card in the 66th minute of Thursday’s loss, which has left the La Liga title race wide open, for “disparaging or disrespectful attitudes towards referees, officials or sports authorities”. Koeman will be banned from the bench for Barca’s matches at Valencia on Sunday and at home to lead leaders Atletico Madrid…

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward promised the club “do not seek” any revival of the European Super League as fans vented their fury at the planned breakaway during an emergency meeting on Friday. The Old Trafford giants were one of 12 clubs that announced this month they were joining the new continental competition, only for it to collapse under intense pressure within 48 hours. It was announced that Woodward would be leaving his role shortly before United officially withdrew from the Super League, of which the club’s American co-chairman Joel Glazer was named vice-chairman. Around 10,000 supporters are expected…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Friday that he is confident that failure to qualify for the Champions League would not have a major impact on his transfer plans. Klopp was already resigned to having a reduced budget because of the financial impact of the coronavirus, regardless of where the champions finished in this season’s Premier League. Accounts published this week showed the Anfield club made a pre-tax loss of £46 million in the year ending May 2020 and there will be more financial pain to come. While there will be some financial impact if six-time European champions Liverpool fail to…

The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, yesterday decried frequent changes in the leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Akeredolu spoke in Akure, Ondo State capital, when the management of the commission led by the Interim Administrator and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Effiong Akwa, paid him a visit in his office. During the visit of the management team, the NDDC donated three waste disposal trucks and skip bins to the state government. The team also paid inspection visit to the construction site of the 132 KVA Transmission Station at Erinje in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state financed…